Iris's POV
The silence was worse than the words.
Eight hundred students held their breath. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They all just stared at me like I was something dying on the side of the road.
I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like someone had reached inside and crushed my lungs. That golden feeling, that beautiful connection, was gone. Ripped away. And I didn't even understand what it had been.
Then Caspian started talking again. His voice carried across the silent hall.
"A human mate is genetically impossible. We're not even the same species." He said it like he was explaining math. Cold. Factual. Like I wasn't a person sitting right there listening to every word.
Someone laughed. Just a small sound, but it cut through the silence like a knife.
Caspian kept going. "Politically, it's unacceptable. My family has alliances to maintain. The pack has expectations. A mate this weak would be a liability."
Weak.
The word hit me like a punch. I'd heard it before. My whole life, people had called me weak. Too small. Too soft. Too human. I'd worked three jobs to prove them wrong. I'd studied until my eyes burned. I'd gotten scholarships they said were impossible.
And here I was, being called weak anyway. In front of everyone.
"The Moon Goddess made an error." His voice got louder. More confident. Like he'd convinced himself he was right. "I refuse to acknowledge it."
More laughter. Not just one person this time. A ripple of it spread through the crowd. Whispers followed.
"Did you see her face?"
"Poor thing thought she had a chance."
"What did she expect? She's just a human."
Just a human.
My hands were shaking. I grabbed the edge of my chair so hard my knuckles turned white. Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't give them the satisfaction.
But my eyes were already burning. My throat was closing up. I was going to cry in front of all these people and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
The dean was talking. Something about unusual circumstances. Something about finding me a different partner. But I couldn't hear him properly. Everything sounded far away, like I was underwater.
I looked up one more time. At him. At Caspian.
He was already sitting down. Already moving on. Like rejecting me had been nothing. Like breaking that golden connection had been as easy as swatting a fly.
He didn't even look at me.
That hurt worse than anything else. Worse than the words. Worse than the laughter. He'd felt what I felt. I knew he had. And he was just... done with it. Done with me.
The girl next to me leaned over. She had kind eyes. Witch, probably, based on the silver rings on every finger.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
I tried to answer. Tried to say something brave like "I'm fine." But my voice wouldn't work. If I opened my mouth, I was going to sob.
So I shook my head. No. I wasn't okay.
The assembly dragged on forever. Names kept getting called. Partners kept finding each other. Everyone else got to have their perfect moment while I sat there falling apart.
Finally, finally, it ended. The dean dismissed everyone. Students started standing up, talking, laughing like nothing had happened.
I needed to leave. Now. Before the tears came.
I stood up too fast. The room spun. For a second, I thought I might actually pass out. But I grabbed my bag and pushed my way toward the exit.
Students moved out of my way. Some looked sorry for me. Most just looked uncomfortable. A few she-wolves smiled. Actually smiled. Like they'd won some competition I didn't know I was in.
I made it to the hallway. It was empty. Everyone was still inside. I started walking faster. Then running.
My dorm was across campus. It felt like miles. My vision was blurry. The tears had started and I couldn't stop them. I didn't care anymore. I just needed to get somewhere private before I completely fell apart.
I burst through the dorm door. My roommate wasn't there yet. Thank God. I threw my bag on the floor and collapsed onto my bed.
And then I broke.
Sobs tore out of me so hard they hurt. I cried into my pillow so nobody would hear. My whole body shook. That pain in my chest got worse and worse until I thought I might actually die from it.
I'd felt something beautiful for ten seconds. Something that made me feel whole. Special. Like I mattered.
And then he'd taken it away. Called it a mistake. Called me weak. Destroyed me in front of everyone.
I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. Until my head pounded and my throat was raw and I was too exhausted to move.
The door opened. I heard footsteps. Then a hand touched my shoulder.
"Iris?" A girl's voice. Gentle. Worried.
I looked up. It was the witch from the assembly. The one with the silver rings and kind eyes. She was holding a box of tissues and looking at me like her heart was breaking.
"I'm Petra," she said softly. "I'm your roommate."
"He rejected me," I whispered. My voice came out broken and small.
"I know." She sat down on the bed next to me. "Everyone knows. The whole school's talking about it."
That made it worse. Of course they were talking about it. The weak human who got rejected by a future Alpha. I'd be the school joke for the next four years.
Fresh tears spilled down my face.
"Listen to me." Petra's voice got fierce. She grabbed both my shoulders and made me look at her. "That boy is an idiot. And you're going to prove it."
I shook my head. "I can't. I'm just—"
"Don't you dare say weak." Her eyes flashed. Actual magic sparkled in them. "Don't let him put that word in your mouth. You got here, didn't you? You earned scholarships nobody thought you could get. You're the only human brave enough to come to this school."
"It doesn't matter," I sobbed. "He called me weak in front of everyone. And he was right. I am weak compared to all of you."
"Right now, maybe." Petra smiled. It was a sharp, dangerous smile. "But you won't be weak forever."
Something in her voice made me stop crying. Made me actually listen.
"This school has combat training," she said. "Required for all students. They usually put humans in the easy classes. But there's an advanced program. Professor Frost runs it."
"Why are you telling me this?"
Petra's smile got bigger. "Because Professor Frost doesn't care if you're human. He only cares if you're willing to work. And if you train hard enough, if you get strong enough..." She paused. "You could make Caspian Ravencourt regret every word he said today."
My heart skipped a beat. "How?"
"By becoming something he never imagined you could be." Petra leaned closer. "By becoming
strong."
I stared at her. My mind was racing. Could I actually do that? Could a human really get strong enough to compete with supernaturals?
"It won't be easy," Petra warned. "Frost's training is brutal. It might break you."
"I'm already broken," I whispered.
"No." Petra squeezed my shoulders. "You're hurt. There's a difference. Hurt can heal. And when it does, you'll be stronger than before."
I thought about Caspian's face. The way he'd looked at me like I was nothing. The way he'd walked away without looking back.
Weak.
He'd called me weak.
Something hot and fierce ignited in my chest. It burned away the tears. Burned away the sadness.
What was left was anger. Pure, bright, powerful anger.
"Where do I sign up?" I asked.
Petra's smile could have lit up the whole room.
"Tomorrow morning. Professor Frost's office. But Iris?" She looked me dead in the eyes. "Once you start this, there's no going back. You'll have to commit completely. It will hurt. You'll want to quit every single day."
"Good," I said. And I meant it. "I want it to hurt. I want to
earn being strong."
Because Caspian was right about one thing.
I was weak.
Right now.
But that was about to change.